Construction + Economy

Following its highest mark since August 2008, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) dropped more than three points in November. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the November ABI rating was 42.8, down from 46.1 in October. This score indicates a continued decline in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase [...]

Here, here and here. What do you think? Maybe the answer is it’s transformational, but not worth the cost in applications other than high-end projects. Has BIM impacted your business? Are there any ramifications for lighting in the short term? One thing for certain, it’s revolutionary:

Construction spending during October 2009 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $910.8 billion, about the same as the revised September estimate of $910.4 billion and 14.4% below the October 2008 estimate of $1,064.1 billion, according to the Department of Commerce. During the first 10 months of 2009, construction spending reached $794 billion, [...]

NEMA’s Lighting Systems Index (LSI) increased 3.3% on a quarter-to-quarter basis during the third quarter of 2009. This marks the LSI’s first increase in nine quarters. Nonetheless, the index is only one quarter removed from its lowest reading on record and declined 19.3% on a year-over-year basis. After adjusting for seasonal influences and inflation, emergency [...]

In the wake of an extended global economic slump, local communities are pushing ahead and expanding their green building programs. More than one in five U.S. cities with populations greater than 50,000 surveyed by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) report having a policy to promote green buildings, accounting for more than 53 million people. [...]

Amidst a continued high level of inquiries for possible new projects, the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reached its highest mark since August 2008, just before the serious credit problems emerged in the economy. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate 9- to 12-month lag [...]

Despite a challenging economic outlook, green construction will support 7.9 million U.S. jobs and pump $554 billion into the American economy–including $396 billion in wages–over the next four years (2009-2013), according to a new study from the U.S. Green Building Council and Booz Allen Hamilton. The study also determined that green construction spending currently supports [...]

Construction spending during September 2009 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $940.3 billion, 0.8% above the revised August estimate of $933 billion and 13% below the September 2008 estimate of $1,081.2 billion. During the first nine months of 2009, construction spending reached $715.2 billion, 12.1% below the $813.3 billion for the same [...]

In his October editorial, Building Design & Construction Robert Cassidy asked whether commercial real estate is the next bubble, quoting Dan Tishman, CEO of Tishman Construction, who said $3.4 trillion in commercial real estate loans generated in 2007 will be rolling over in the next 5-7 years, and the capacity to refinance these loans is [...]